Matthew Concanen
Matthew Concanen (1701 - 22 January 1749)1812 Chalmers’ Biography / C / Matthew Concanen (?–1749) (vol. 10, p. 134) was an Irish poet, prose writer,and lawyer. Life He studied law in Ireland but travelled to London as a young man, and began writing political pamphlets in support of the Whig government. He also wrote for newspapers including the London Journal and The Speculatist. He published a volume of poems, some of which were original works and some translations. He wrote a dramatic comedy, Wexford Wells. A collection of his essays from The Speculatist was published in 1732. His skills attracted the attention of the Whig statesman Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle. In June 1732 the Duke appointed him attorney-general of Jamaica.James Sambrook, ‘Concanen, Matthew (1701–1749)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 He held the post for over 16 years. While in Jamaica, Concanen married the daughter of a local planter. After his tenure in Jamaica was completed, he returned to London, intending to retire to Ireland, but died of a fever in London shortly after his return.David Erskine Baker, in Companion to the Play-House (1764) 2: Sig. G5v. Writing In 1731 Concanen, Edward Roome, & Sir William Yonge produced The Jovial Crew, an opera, adapted from Richard Brome's A Jovial Crew. He was co-author of The history and antiquities of the parish of St. Saviour's, Southwark. ''An Essay Against Too Much Reading'' The 1728 humorous''Shakespeare Quarterly'' Page 319; by Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare Association of America, 1952 anonymous pamphlet, An Essay Against Too Much Reading, has been attributed to Concanen, though it has also been identified (probably wrongly) as the work of a certain "Captain Goulding" (Thomas Goulding) of Bath.Wadsworth. The poacher from Stratford, p. 9-10. The identification derives from "A Speech to Royal Highness, the Princess Amelia on her Birth-day" by Goulding, which is bound in the same volume. It included the first, though none too serious, direct statements of doubt about Shakespeare's authorship.Reginald Charles Churchill, Shakespeare and His Betters: A History and a Criticism of the Attempts which Have Been Made to Prove that Shakespeare's Works Were Written by Others; Indiana University Press, 1959 The author proposed "a short account of Mr Shakespeare's proceeding, and that I had from one of his intimate acquaintance..." Shakespeare is described as merely a collaborator who "in all probability cou'd not write English."George McMichael, Edward M. Glenn Shakespeare and His Rivals, pg 56 With regard the Bard's grasp of history, the Essay related that Shakespeare "not being a scholar" employed a "chuckle-pated historian" who gave him a set of notes to save the trouble of research.Ivor John Carnegie Brown; William Shakespeare; Morgan-Grampian Books Ltd., 1968 The historian also corrected his grammar. Recognition He criticised Alexander Pope and was rewarded with a passage in Pope's Dunciad ridiculing him as "A cold, long-winded native of the deep" (Dunciad, ii. 299-304). There is also well-known letter about him written by William Warburton, who comments on how Concanen helped him. Publications Poetry *''A Match at Foot-ball; or, The Irish champions: A mock-heroic poem, in three cantos''. Dublin: privately published, 1720; London: R. Francklin / W. Chetwood & J. Woodman / J. Graves, 1721. *''Meliora's Tears for Thyrsis: A pastoral lamenting the death of the Late Lord Southwell''. Dublin: James Fitz-simmons, 1720. *''Poems on Several Occasions''. Dublin: A. Rhames, for E. Dawson, 1722. Plays *''Wexford Wells: A comedy''. 1721.New Cambridge Biography of English, Volume 2, 1660-1800, (edited by George Watson). Cambridge University Press, 1971, 5411968. Google Books, Web, May 16, 2016. *''The Jovial Crew: A comic opera''. London: J. Watts, 1731. Non-fiction *"A Large Dedication to the Author of the Dunciad: Containing some animadversions upon that extraordinary performance," in A Compleat Collection of all the verses, essays, letters and advertisements, which have been occasioned by the publication of three volumes of Miscellanies, by Pope and Company : to which is added an exact list of the lords, ladies, gentlemen and others, who have been abused in those volumes. London: A. Moore, 1728. *''A Supplement to the Profund: Containing several examples, very proper to illustrate the rules laid down in a late treatise, called 'The art of sinking in poetry': Extracted from the Poetical Works of the ingenious Authors of that accurate Piece, and published for the Use of their Admirers''. London: J. Roberts, 1728. *''The Speculatist: A collection of letters and essays''. London: privately published, printed by J. Watts, 1730. *''The Rise and Fall of the Late Projected Excise'' (by "A friend to the English constitution"). London: J. Peele, 1733; Dublin: George Ewing, 1733. *''The History and Antiquities of the Parish of St. Saviour's, Southwark'' (with Aaron Morgan). London: J. Delahoy, for J. Parsons, 1795. Edited *''Miscellaneous Poems: Original and translated, by several hands''.London: J. Peele, 1724. *''The Flower-piece: A collection of miscellany poems''. London: J. Walthoe, & H. Walthoe, 1731. *''A Miscellany on Taste''. London: G. Lawten, 1732. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Matthew Concanen 1749, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 16, 2016. See also *List of Irish poets References External links ;Poems *Matthew Concanen at PoemHunter ("In Days of Yore") *"A Letter to a Critick: In vindication of the modern poets" *Matthew Concanen at Poetry Nook (18 poems) ;About *Concanen, Matthew in the Dictionary of National Biography *Matthew Concanen (1701-1749) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:Shakespeare authorship question Category:1701 births Category:1749 deaths Category:English male dramatists and playwrights Category:English male poets Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Irish poets Category:Poets